Who knew that NBC could actually pull off a horror anthology? Okay, sure, it might be a little too soon to judge FEAR ITSELF, but the first episode was surprisingly good. Sure, I would have liked a more original story, but vampires are an easy sell. (Um, except where CBS’ MOONLIGHT was concerned. What the heck went wrong there?) I thought this offering was a heck of a lot better than 80 percent of what Showtime’s MASTERS OF HORROR offered up in its lackluster second season. I’ll admit that the scenes for next week’s episode — featuring Eric Roberts as a detective literally haunted by the sins of his past — didn’t do much for me, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give it a shot. There’s way too little good horror being offered on television these days, so I’m going to give this show a chance. I mean, it’s months and months until the Winchester boys of SUPERNATURAL come back, and we’ve gotta pass the time somehow… right?
As a fan of reality television, I’ve seen a lot of selfish, obnoxious behavior. But never have I witnessed anything that compares to the horrendous antics on display each week during THE REAL WORLD: HOLLYWOOD. This week, alcoholic Joey returned from a 30-day stint in therapy and before his arrival, the housemates met with an expert on addictions. The group agreed to do what they could to help Joey deal with his problem, promising to avoid putting him in situations which might cause him to fall off the wagon. Despite talk of various activities they would do to help keep him occupied — bowling, etc — the very first night, the housemates went out, got drunk and woke him up at 4:30 in the morning. And don’t get me started on Greg, the pretentious, obnoxious, lying little nutjob who manages to came off as self-absorbed even in the context of this immature crowd of posers and got exactly what he deserved when he was kicked off the show. Best of all? The guy who alienated everyone in the house was somehow caught off-guard by the fact that none of his housemates stepped up to defend him.
I’ve just started watching the Masterpiece Theater series UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS on DVD thanks to Netflix. Everytime I mention it to anyone, the word that immediately comes to mind is “charming.” If you’ve never seen this classic series, which shows how social and historical changes impact a household between 1903 and 1930, I highly recommend it.If this sounds dry and boring, trust me, it’s anything but. In the first few episodes alone, the series has dealt with adultery, homosexuality and abortion. I’m looking forward to spending the summer with the Bellamy family and their various servants.
